Officer’s Sally Yeomans has been awarded the Victorian Young Rider of the Year thanks to her talent in eventing. Sally is also the stable foreman for Matt Hyland in Cranbourne.By Glen Atwell
WHEN most of us are sound asleep, Officer horse lover Sally Yeomans is up at 3.30am.
Many could handle that once a month, maybe once a week, but Yeomans does it six days a week.
The 20-year-old stable foreman for Cranbourne trainer Matt Hyland admits that bouncing out of bed in the wee hours of the morning isn’t an easy task, especially with daylight saving in effect.
“Daylight saving doesn’t help when trying to get to sleep, but I love my job and the early mornings are something I’m willing to put up with,” Yeomans said.
Yeomans’ love of horses goes beyond her duties as stable foreman, as she is also a dedicated equestrian competitor.
The talented rider has just been named the Victorian Young Rider of the Year in the eventing category, which comprises show-jumping, dressage and cross-country.
Yeomans works at the Hyland stable until 9am most mornings to ensure the 16-horse stable is running smoothly.
“Making sure the horses are in the right places at the right time is important. Some might be required at the track, for example.
“Matt spends most of his morning at the track, so keeping everything organised at the stable is a must,” Yeomans said.
After her morning duties, she often has a sleep to keep herself going, before spending time training her own horses.
“With eventing, you cover all three riding disciplines, and horses need fine-tuning to adapt to that,” she said.
Since Yeomans’ beloved horse, 10-year-old Space Cadet, broke down, she has acquired two young horses, which are currently in training.
“They are very young, but are both showing ability.”
She says that, with a bit more time to grow and learn, her new horses will be ready to tackle the extremes of cross-country event, her favourite of the three disciplines in which she competes.
“It’s tough, but so much fun.
“I love just focusing on getting myself and my horse to the finish safely, without worrying about smaller details that dominate the other disciplines,” Yeomans said.
